Compartmented tray



P 27, 1954 w. v. SPRENGER E l' AL 2,676,748

' COMPARTMENTED TRAY I Filed Aug. 17, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y gymvron BYdz; 6%? e April 1954' p w. v. SPRENGER EI'AL 2,676,748

COIVIIIPARTMENTED TRAY 1 Filed Aug. 17, 1949 2 sheets-.she 't 2WgVENTORS.

Patented Apr. 27, 1954 COMPARTMENTED TRAY Wilbur V. Sprenger, Denver,0010., and John C.

Roche, Chicago, Ill., assignors to Chicago Carton Company, Chicago,Ill., a corporation of Delaware Application August 17, 1949, Serial No.110,754

2 Claims.

This invention relates to a package and a tray therefor, and it hasparticular reference to a package forming tray by means of which a veryrigid tray structure may be formed from a foldable or collapsible blank.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a simple, foldable orcollapsible blank for forming a rigid tray structure which willfacilitate the formation of a wrapper of transparent material aroundmerchandise supported by the tray. Other objects and advantages of theinvention will be understood by reference to the following specificationand accompanying drawings in which there are shown two selectedembodiments of trays according to the invention.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective illustrating a preferred form of tray set upready to receive goods to be packaged;

Fig. 2 is a perspective illustrating a completed package in whichmerchandise supported by the tray of Fig. 1 is enclosed in a transparentwrapper,-

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the blank employed for forming the tray ofFigs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a perspective illustrating the manner in which the blank ofFig. 3 is formed into a collapsible tray which may be unfolded or openedto tray position,-

Fig. 5 is a perspective of another form of tray according to theinvention;

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a package made from the tray of Fig. 5, andFig. 7 is a plan view of a blank from which the tray of Fig. 5 isformed.

The tray shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings is formed from a blank such asshown in Fig. 3, which is of any suitable grade of box board scored orcreased to provide a pair of bottom panels I and 2 foldablyinterconnected by a central score line 3.

Arcuate slits 4 and scores or creases 5 extending transversely of thecentral score 3 together with scores or creases 6 which define the outeredges of the bottom panels I and 2 cooperate to define side wall panelsI and 8. The free or upper marginal portions of the side wall panels Iand 8 are recessed as indicated at 9. The slits 4 and fold lines 5 ofthe side wall panel I serve also to define flaps I0, III which arefoldably connected to the end edges of the side wall panel 1 outwardlyof or above the'slits 4. Similarly the slits a and fold lines 5 of theside wall 8 serve also to define flaps I I, H which are foldablyconnected to the opposite ends of the side wall 2 panel 8. These flaps II are further provided with fold lines I2 parallel to the fold lines 5so as to provide for folding of the flaps II upon themselves as willpresently appear.

Adhesive is applied in areas indicated at I3 on the flaps I0, the flapsII are folded upon themselves on their fold lines I 2, and the blank isthen folded on the median fold line 3 so that the end portions 64 of theflaps I I will become adhesively bonded to the faces of the flaps IE5 asbest shown in Fig. 4 where the tray is shown in collapsed but slightlyopened condition.

For packaging purposes, the blank is folded on itself so that itsopposite halves are disposed in face to face relation, the widths of thebottom panels I and 2 being equal and these widths being also equal tothe width of the portion I5 of the flaps II. These equalized widthspermit the blank to be folded flat for packaging, storage and shippingpurposes.

When the blank is to be set up into a tray, the side wall panels I and 8are merely pulled apart, the bottom panels I and 2 being thereby causedto unfold to substantially fiat co-planar position while the end wallflaps I8 and II automatically adjust themselves to the transverselyextending end wall forming positions illustrated in Fig. 1.

The tray thus formed may have merchandise such as cookies or otherbakery goods, or any other kind of material packaged in the central welllike portion of the tray and also on the opposite end portions thereofwhich are very eifectively supported by the end portions of the sidewalls underlying the convexly curved edges resulting from the slits i..The tray when suitably loaded with merchandise may be inserted into apreformed bag I6 of transparent film-like material or any other suitablecontainer and the open end of the bag closed and sealed to produce apackage approximately as represented in Fig. 2.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the blank is formed tohave a single section bottom panel I! which is separated by suitablefold lines I8 and I9 from side panels 20 and 2|. End flaps 22, 23, 24and 25 are provided on the opposite ends of the side panels by means ofarcuate slits 25 and transversely extending fold lines 21. Thediagonally opposed flaps 22 and 24 are provided with locking slits 28and the other pair of diagonally opposed flaps 23 and 25 are providedwith looking ears or tongues 29 which are formed by suitably slittingthe said flaps as shown.

The blank of Fig. 7 is folded into a tray as shown in Fig. 5, the sidewall panels 20 and 2! being folded to substantially right angularrelation to the bottom panel flaps 22, 23,

25 being folded into overlapping relation to each other substantiallyperpendicularly to the then parallel side walls 29 and. 2!. Theoverlapping flaps are locked in that position by inserting the tongues29 of the flaps 23 and 25 through the slits 28 of the flaps 22 and 24.The tray is thereby looked in its set-up condition so that it willremain in that condition ready for packaging at the convenience of theperson using the tray after which the loaded tray may be enclosed in asuitable wrapper as shown in Fig. 6.

This wrapper may be like the wrapper 16 of the package shown in Fig. 2,that is to say, it may be formed of a bag into which the filled tray isinserted, the mouth end of the bag being then closed and sealed.However, the wrapper may also b formed of plain sheet materialpreferably but not necessarily of transparent character, such sheetingbeing suitably wrapped transversely around the tray and folded over theends and under the bottom or the tray whe e such interfolded ends may besuitably sealed to the bottom of the package. Various wrappingarrangements may, of course, be employed in connection with the traywhile obtaining the benefits of the rigid support provided by thedescribed tray construction.

Various changes in without departing from vention.

We claim:

1. A tray of the class described, comprising a bottom panel havin a pairoi oppositely disposed side edges, a pair of opposite side wallsrespectively hingedly connected to said bottom panel side edges anddisposed in upstandin side wall relation to said bottom panel, said sidewalls respectively embodying rigidly interconnected, co-planar base andupper portions, said upper portions being of less length than said baseportions and having ends respectively spaced inwardly from the ends ofsaid base portions, and a plurality of flaps hingedly connected to theends of said upper side wall portions, said flaps extending inwardlyfrom the respective opposite side walls into transversely extendingoverlying relation to said bottom panel, the flaps which extend from oneor said side walls respectively overlapping thos which extend from theother of said side walls and being secured thereto so as to therebyfor-m transverse partitions which interconnect and maintain said sidewalls in said upstanding relation to said bottom panel, said partitionsserving to separate the space which overlies said bottom panel betweensaid side walls into a plurality of article receiving compartments whichare respectively adapted to receive articles the structure may be madethe principles of the inof merchandise, the hinged connections of saidside walls to said bottom panel edges, and of said partition forminflaps to said upper wall portion ends, facilitating fabrication of thetray from a one-piece out and creased fiat blank substantially asdescribed.

2. A tray of the class described, comprising a bottom panel havin a pairof oppositely disposed side edges, a pair of opposite side wallsrespectively hingedly connected to said bottom panel side edges anddisposed in upstanding side wall relation to said bottom panel, saidside walls respectively embodying rigidly interconnected, co-planar baseand upper portions, said upper portions being of less length than saidbase portions and having ends respectively spaced from the ends of saidbase portions, and a plurality of flaps hingedly connected to the endsof said upper side wall portions, said flaps extendin in wardly from therespective opposite side walls into transversely extending overlyingrelation to said bottom panel, the flaps which extend from one of saidside walls respectively overlappin those which extend from the other ofsaid side walls and being permanently secured thereto so as to therebyform transverse partitions which interconnect and maintain said sidewalls in said upstanding relation to said bottom panel, said partitionsserving to separate the space which overlies said bottom panel betweensaid side walls into a plurality of article receiving compart mentswhich are respectively adapted to receive articles or merchandise, saidbottom panel and said partitions being provided with co-planar foldlines located substantially midway between said side walls so as topermit collapsing of the tray by folding said bottom panel andpartitions on themselves and moving said side walls toward each otherinto face to face relation.

References (litcd in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 377,813 Munson Feb. 14, 1888 637,838 Vernon Nov. 28,1899 778,544 Lewis Dec. 27, 1904:

1,585,390 Kondolf May 18, 1926 1,913,134 Tilney June 6, 1933 2,276,890Steihbiss Mar. 17, 1942 2,295,478 Jason Sept. 8, 19% 2,295,532 HyndmanSept. 15, 1942 2,300,874 De Ferrari Nov. 3, 194 2,537,452 Forrer Jan. 9,1951 2,537,615 Arneson Jan. 9, 1951 2,597,289 Caskey May 20, 1952FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 265,405 Great Britain Feb. 10, 1927

